A Royal Affair
by Suzie's Q
Summary: Royalty AU. Princess Lily has never gotten along with Prince James, and she doesn't expect that to change any time soon. But sometimes, life can surprise you.


Royalty AU, again. Don't own Harry Potter.

* * *

**A Royal Affair  
**Summary: Royalty AU. Princess Lily has never gotten along with Prince James, and she doesn't expect that to change any time soon. But sometimes, life can surprise you.  
Pairing: J/L  
Word Count: 5,461  
Rating: K+

* * *

"Oh, Mother, please!" Lily whined, for the fiftieth time since their carriage had hit the road, a grand total of – nine minutes ago. She wrenched her wrist out of her mother's grasp, pouting. "You promised we wouldn't have to go anymore!"

"I lied," her mother promptly replied, in a cheerful voice. "You have fun there, don't you?"

Lily looked appalled. "That is not what I call fun," she insisted. "Sitting around, listening to that arrogant prat and his idiotic best friends attempt to sound cool."

Her mother waved a dismissive hand, and Lily knew she was barely hearing anything she said. "The prince is shaping up to be a fine young man," she carried on. At that, Lily let out a derisive snort, and her mother sent her a scolding look. Princesses do not snort. "And he'll have to get married sooner or later, his mother won't last forever."

Lily raised her eyebrows, determined to look coldly at her mother, but the effect was ruined when their carriage hit a bump in the road, and she lost her balance.

"After all, it's his birthday. Aren't you excited?"

As excited as she'd be if their carriage was trundling off a cliff, Lily thought to herself, though she just scowled at her mother in response. Twenty, he was going to be. Twelve long years, they'd been doing this. Every summer – a long visit to the neighbouring kingdom, three long months with their only son and heir. James.

It would be convenient if they happened to fall in love, their kingdoms joint, as their parents so desperately hoped. But Lily couldn't stand the annoying prat, and she hardly expected that to change. She knew how much their parents wanted their kingdoms to unite – they only had one heir each, and while her parents' kingdom had no army to speak of, King Edward had a fine army that her father watched with wary eyes. And of course, it meant a great deal of things – smaller taxes, less trading expenses. It made sense.

But as much as they were logical and rational leaders, Lily knew that her parents would never force her to marry a man she despised. They were simply hoping she'd grow to love him enough to marry him, and so they tried to speed along this process with gruelling visits to the other kingdom during the summer time. They were waiting for James and Lily to fall in love, Lily knew that. But the more they got to know each other, the more the chances of them ever falling in love diminished.

It would have been perfect – easy, even – because Lily couldn't rule without a husband anyway, and she would have to marry eventually. And if the sacred prince was even tolerable, she would have tried, she would have learned to love him. And there had been times, in more recent years, that she thought she could, she thought she saw something there, something way off in the distance. Maybe she even deluded herself into thinking that he was changing, he was mature, and that things were beginning to turn around for the two of them.

But something always got in the way, especially last year. It had left her more confused than ever, and rather than wanting to see him and sort it all out, and see if she could in fact learn to love him, Lily just wanted to crawl up into her room and never see him again. The thought was making her ill.

Her mother had caught hold of her wrist again, and Lily frowned up at her.

"It's not just that we want to see our kingdoms brought together," she began, looking at her daughter pleadingly, which was uncharacteristic for the older woman. "And we do, mind you."

Lily raised one eyebrow. "Mother, I know that, I –"

"But that's not all," her mother went on, her nose turned up in the air and her tone dripping with a tone of superiority. "I want to see you taken care of," she told her, sighing dramatically. "Especially with your father not around anymore, I want to make sure you have someone who will take care of you. I want you to be in good hands. And James is a lovely boy, he'll be good to you."

Lily was quiet for a minute, pondering that. "Are you sure about that?" she asked eventually, though she regretted it a moment later when her mother glowered at her. "I'm just saying - it's not like he's proved to be very responsible."

"Nonsense," her mother said snappishly, still glaring at her daughter. "And look, I know you never make an effort to get along –" she held up a hand to stop Lily, who had opened her mouth to protest, "But it's his birthday, and he's lost more than you have in the past two years and he doesn't need any grief on his birthday, so please be civil."

Lily nodded silently, sighing in defeat. Please don't embarrass your mother, Lily. Behave like a princess.

And who knows? Maybe for the first time in his life, James could act like a prince too.

She didn't remember the first time that she'd met him, as she was a newborn baby at the time. Her father had been old as far as fathers go, and good friends with King Edward, James' father. When he came to see the baby, he'd brought his son, only a toddler at the time, with him.

And didn't it seem such a perfect idea to pair them off? If they could just push their children in the right direction, one day they would fall in love, and knit everything perfectly together. It was a safe option, and a sensible one, for the sake of their kingdoms.

But Lily had grown tired of hearing about James, hearing that one day she'd realize they were well made for each other.

Caught up in her thoughts again, Lily let out a noise of distaste. She knew that everyone hoped that they'd fall in love, but it didn't work like that. James Potter had been a thorn in her side from day one.

XXX

The early years passed without a problem. They were too young, really, to create issues with each other. But as time passed, the pampered prince proved he could be pompous, and Lily watched his head inflate to an alarming size with every summer.

The trouble began when Lily was nine. The eleven year old boy and his friends – a few boys of noble lineage – were different when Lily arrived that summer. Though they had never truly liked each other, Prince James had always been pleasant to her, or polite at the very least.

Not this year. This year, he and his best friend, Sirius, had greeted her by aiming some potatoes at her, until she backed away slowly, retreating to the safety of the guest room that she inhabited every summer.

About halfway through the summer, the boys had built a treehouse. Or rather, they had made the castle servants build quite an extravagant treehouse. Lily discovered it after lunch one day, and had marched out, in her dress and all.

On the top, just over the door, read a large, obnoxious sign in thick black letters. 'NO GIRLS ALLOWED.'

Lily pouted, and did what anyone would have done in that situation. She began to climb, because no stupid boy and his idiot friends were going to order her around. If she wanted to play in the treehouse, she would play in the treehouse.

She was halfway up when the ladder gave a precarious, threatening shake. Lily looked up, to find the fat one – whatever his name was – sneering down at her. He had the top of the ladder in his hands, and he was shaking it as vigorously as he could. Lily screeched for him to stop – the other boys laughed in the background – but the words had barely left her mouth before the inevitable occurred. An alarmingly loud thud and a sickening snap later, Lily went home with a broken arm.

XXX

After such a disastrous summer, Lily was dreading her return for the whole year. She had begged and pleaded with her mother, but the young princess may as well have pleaded with the rocks outside for all the response she got.

She had felt sick the entire trip there, though she was sure that her nausea was induced solely by the thought of spending another whole summer with James Potter. For her part, she tried to keep out of the way of James' tirade, accompanied perennially, it appeared, by his best friends.

She spent a lot of time with the girls of the court in the garden, or she'd take to the terrace and sit as far away from everybody else as she could manage and lose herself in her book. This, however, proved to be the worst thing she could have done.

They'd been there about two weeks, and her mother and James' had gone for a long walk to view the new markets that were setting up for the season. Once they'd left, the only people still there to supervise wouldn't have told James to tie his shoelaces, let alone to leave Lily be.

The boys went careening past where she sat on the lawn, her book resting on her lap. James took no notice of her – and though she was glad, she couldn't help but think, with a twinge of annoyance, that she was here to know him, and he should at least acknowledge of her – and two of them went flying past her behind him as blurs. The fourth, however, slowed to a stop just in front of her. His name was Sirius. He had dark hair and pretty eyes.

And a wicked sense of humour.

He snatched her book up in his hands before she had even noticed him standing there. She let out a yelp and jumped to her feet, but Sirius had already run off with the book in his hands, throwing it to James once he caught up. James let out a raucous laugh.

And despite the disaster that Lily had endured the year before, her fighting spirit got the better of her. And she did what any princess would do. She kicked her shoes off unceremoniously, hitched up her skirt, and chased after the prince and his friends with murderous intent.

She screeched for them to give her back the book, and she was closing in on them, but James just roared with laughter, dangling the book out behind him tauntingly as he ran. She had just caught hold of his wrist when she lost her balance, thrown off by those _bloody _skirts, and went tumbling into the lake, sending ducks skittering off in alarm and water everywhere.

But she didn't go alone. No, if she was going down, she was dragging that evil little boy with her, and he fell in after her, her grip on his arm still tight. He let out a yelp, landing beside her.

Lily sat up, groaning, sweeping back her drenched hair. James, sitting up beside her, blinked at her in surprise, and then managed a small grin. Then he started to chuckle, and Lily couldn't help it – she joined in.

They shared a private laugh for a total of about ten seconds. James cleared his throat then. "Erm... Here's your book," he muttered, holding out the sopping book. She stared at it for a few seconds, and then back at him as she took it.

The smiles slid off their faces at the same time, when they realized that they weren't supposed to have laughed at all. They weren't supposed to smile. Lily harrumphed and got to her feet as dignified as she could manage, clutching the book to her chest. She stalked off, not sparing him a second glance – meaning she missed the dumbfounded expression on his face as he stared at her retreating back. She was insulted, and it was always James Potter's fault. And she wouldn't forget it.

XXX

The next year, at eleven years old, she was dreading the trip so much, she pleaded with her father to stay at home. She begged and protested and screamed.

"Father, I can't, I'll get seasick!" she wailed. That wasn't strictly true. She _would _be sick, but it wouldn't be induced by the ocean. It would be induced by that _git. _

Alas, her efforts were in vain. She spent another horrendous summer with James and his friends.

XXX

Lily was not aware, however, that she was not the only one who dreaded these trips. Only a year later, the night before she arrived, could a fourteen year old James be found retreating to his bedroom. The only person allowed entry was Sirius.

James refused to get off his bed, glaring at the wall with his arms folded across his chest.

"I don't even like her!" he was exclaiming, while Sirius nodded, his expression one of mock sympathy and understanding. "She ruins everything, and she's absolutely no fun."

Sirius sat at the end of his bed, smirking at his best friend. "Ah, come on, she's not that bad," he reasoned, though he was laughing, and very obviously didn't believe what he was saying.

"You marry her then," James grumbled, wrinkling his nose.

"Well, I still fail to understand why you're _hiding." _

Though he should have defended his honour, he didn't even try. He _was _hiding. He didn't want to see her. He didn't want to hear her shrill voice when she started yelling at him for something he'd done. He didn't want to listen to her go on about her books and tea and other boring things. The girl never did anything fun. Apart from that game of chase last year, and they'd both ended up in the lake. That had been a good laugh. If she did that more often, they would have been best friends by now.

But he knew where those books were stuffed up, and she was so incorruptibly good, it just made her boring.

"If she'd loosen up a bit, we'd be fine," James said thoughtfully. Sirius just cackled, grabbing a sheet of paper from the desk in the corner.

"Yeah, right," he snorted. "Maybe her idea of fun is just yelling at you."

"Certainly seems like it," James retorted, shaking his head. "She just doesn't really seem into anything we like to do, you know? All those games we used to play, she'd just glare ... or – or yell, or shriek..."

"Seems like it bothers you a lot more than it should," remarked Sirius.

"Well, she _is _the girl my parents are expecting me to marry," James pointed out, rolling his eyes at the thought. The chances of that happening were beyond nil. "Wouldn't you think we're supposed to get on?"

Sirius just shrugged. "Forget about her, mate. Maybe she'll relax a bit. Maybe you should try and help her relax, instead of just making it worse. Don't think she fancies all the stuff we get up to." He scrambled to his feet, and James huffed.

"But that stuff is _fun!" _

Sirius tacked the piece of paper – now featuring a surprisingly artistic picture of Lily – on the wall. "Well, maybe try something she thinks is fun."

"Reading?"

There was a beat of silence.

"Okay, well, something you both find fun."

"I don't think such a thing exists."

"Find something."

James shook his head, taking up his bow – a present from his father – and positioning the extremely safe and not at all real arrow, he narrowed his eyes, taking aim. The arrow hit the picture Sirius had tacked up, right on target (Lily's head), but it didn't make him feel any better.

XXX

James didn't even try to engage with her the summer after. Rather than torture her, in fact, he had kept as well out of her way as possible.

But the summer after that, when she had turned fourteen and he was sixteen and it seemed like a very big gap because she was nothing more than an annoyance, something was arranged for him. His mother had ordered for them to take a tour of the kingdom and the grounds, and to make an appearance for the people of the kingdom.

It didn't go so badly, at the start. She was graceful, waving to the crowd and accepting a lily – how appropriate – that a young girl ran over to give to her.

She even engaged in humble, polite small talk with him, though she didn't look at him for more than a few seconds at a time, and James was fairly certain that her attempts to seem completely uninterested were deliberate.

He was also fairly sure that this would have been a turning point in their relationship, if it hadn't been for what happened next...

James could have sworn he saw someone – a young boy, no more than eight – run out in front of the carriage. He let out a yelp and stood up in the carriage, which spooked the horses and made them buck, turning the carriage over. James was quick, and displayed enough presence of mind to jump out and land lightly on his feet.

Lily, who had unfortunately (and against her will) been dressed in ridiculous skirts and heels, was not so lucky. They returned to the castle in silence, her dress and half her hair matted with mud, and her stony expression enough to keep him quiet.

There was murder when they got back. James protested to the moon and back that it had been an honest mistake that he hadn't meant to happen, that he honestly thought he saw a boy, and didn't want him to get hurt.

Lily didn't buy it for a second. She yelled for about an hour about how this was another one of his stupid pranks, and how he was just an idiot boy and she couldn't believe she was wasting her time on him.

All in all, he was relieved when his mother came to save him. But he went to bed that night weighed down with a sensation of unfamiliar guilt. And that was only the beginning.

XXX

The next summer was a particularly strange one for James and Lily, and they rarely spoke about it afterwards. After losing his father during the year, James was more subdued than usual. He was civil and polite, but he didn't have the heart to cause any trouble.

But Lily was a special case. She infuriated him. He supposed that was a good thing – at least she evoked _some _sort of reaction from him, which had been more than many others had been able to do since his father's death. She made him feel like he was still alive, that he hadn't died alongside his father. It was strange.

They were getting along surprisingly well, and this lasted for at least two hours each time, before one of them would find a flaw so unbearable they would either blow up or flee from the room.

The crux of this happened when the summer was drawing to a close, and Lily was convinced that the chickens that had been sent to her room were his doing. (In truth, they really weren't this time. He'd gotten over chickens when he was twelve.)

"You've got a whole kingdom to run, James, you can't be so childish!"

"_I'm _being childish?" he repeated incredulously, throwing his hands up. "What are you – I didn't – you're the one being childish!"

"James, I know you're upset," she said, folding her arms and thankfully lowering her voice. "But that doesn't mean you can go taking it out on everybody else in any way you like. Prince or not." Her lips seemed to sneer around the last three words.

"You think I actually did this?" he retorted, making sure to match her calm tone, even though his temper was nearing boiling point. He couldn't blow up on her. That was just prove she was right.

"Yes, I do," she said, raising her eyebrows. "You're telling me you didn't?"

"Well, why would I?" he spluttered, blinking back at her.

"Well, we could start off with the fact that you hate me," she said coolly, pursing her lips. She didn't look upset by this, and that confused him. He frowned at her, raking his fingers through his hair.

"I don't hate you," he mumbled, blinking at his shoes. "I don't hate you at all."

Lily was quiet for a few moments, and James knew he'd shocked her. But eventually she cleared her throat and found words. "You've a funny way of showing it."

"Well, you hate me, so I just..."

She let out an exasperated groan, and her hands dropped to her sides. "I don't hate you, James. I mean, I did. But I don't anymore. I know you've been through a lot."

He raised one eyebrow. "I didn't realize that was grounds for not hating someone." She wrinkled her nose, and for a second, James felt as though the corner of his mouth was about to twitch up at the sight.

"Well, I thought I was being sympathetic."

"I don't remember asking for sympathy," he snapped, before he could stop himself. He had heard that line too many times, seen pity in too many eyes when they looked at him, and irritation flared as though doused in alcohol before someone had cast a match onto it.

She bit her lip, and after a few seconds, she reached over and squeezed his hand. "It gets easier."

He just shook his head. "How would you know?"

She shrugged delicately, and James noticed that she hadn't let go of his hand yet. "That's just what people say," she said softly.

Neither moved for a long time, and James' eyelids fluttered shut. It must have been a strange sight, if anyone had come this way – the prince and the princess, standing in the middle of the corridor with their hands clasped, both quiet.

After what seemed like centuries, he took a deep breath. "I'll sort out your room."

Surprise registered across her face, and she nodded slowly. "Th-thank you. Are you alright?"

He nodded, turning to look at her just as she leaned up. They both started, Lily blinking up at him innocently, and instead of his cheek she kissed the corner of his mouth instead, before patting his cheek and heading back to her room.

They didn't speak for the rest of the summer.

XXX

"Oi! Oi, James!"

Sirius looked dreadfully excited about something, beckoning him over, which was James' cue to look as uninterested as he possibly could, sauntering over and yawning.

"What now?" he drawled. Sirius grinned devilishly and stepped aside so that James could peek through the crack in the door that he had previously been staring through.

"It's the princess."

"The princess?" James repeated apprehensively, and though he berated himself internally, his heart gave a little stutter.

"Oh, yes," Sirius said cheerfully. "She's with a castle guard."

"She's _what?" _James snapped, shoving Sirius aside roughly as he made to look through the small gap in the doorway.

Sirius cackled. He was right – Lily looked like she was having fun, trailing her hands down one of the guard's arms, batting her eyelashes. James looked on darkly, his brows furrowing together.

After they had both spied for at least a half an hour, Sirius leaned against the door and examined his nails, smirking. "You know something?" James grunted in reply. "I think you like her."

James lost his grip, and nearly hit the ground, if he hadn't caught himself on the wall. "Wh-what are you talking about?" he stammered.

Sirius just looked even more amused. "All I'm saying is, I think you fancy her. Come on. I invited her to play cards with us at four."

His heart leaped into his throat, and he followed silently, feeling like someone had punched him in the gut. What had Sirius picked up on? And more importantly, was it true?

(Cards appeared to be a horrendous idea. Lily kept winning, frustrating the boys to no end, until they were nearly ripping their hair out. Although privately, James was thrilled, and when she smiled that demure smile or winked, he had to hide his own smile behind his cards.)

XXX

James knocked on the door tentatively, hearing the quiet whimpers from the other side stop immediately. He cleared his throat. "Lily?" he called, as softly as he could manage.

There was no response. "Lily, it's just me," he said, though how that helped he didn't know. "Would it be alright for me to come in?"

He stood there for a long time, listening intently to the silence from the other side of the door. "Yes," came a quiet voice eventually. His mother would kill him if she could see him now, sneaking into a seventeen year old girl's bedroom in the middle of the night. He opened the door gingerly and peered inside.

She was sitting up in the bed, the covers pulled up to her chest, and her eyes were red and puffy from her tears. He slipped inside, looking at her curiously.

"I heard you crying," he explained as he sat down on the end of the bed, because she was looking at him rather suspiciously. She made an attempt to wipe her eyes quickly, but there were still slow, occasional tears streaming down her face.

"Oh."

He nodded. "I just came to – Well, is there anything I can do for you? Anything I can get you?"

She stared at him for a few seconds, her lip quivering and her eyes swimming with tears again. She shook her head, unable to speak as fresh tears fell into her lap.

He bit back his swear. "Oh, no please don't –" he started, moving up the bed and sitting beside her. "I didn't mean to make you cry, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. I'm so sorry, Lily."

Really, he'd expected her to shout at him and throw something at him and tell him to get out by now. But she hadn't. Maybe she didn't have the heart. Instead she leaned her head on his shoulder, and before he'd thought, he'd wrapped his arms around her thin frame, letting her cry onto his shoulder until she'd ran out of tears.

"What – what did you do when _your_ dad died?" she asked him eventually, her voice thick from crying. He expected her to move away. She didn't. "How did you – how did you cope?"

"Oh, I'm still coping," he told her softly, brushing her hair back and frowning down at her. "He left a whole kingdom on my shoulders. And he never – he never... Well, I still haven't gotten over it. And that's okay. You don't have to be okay right now."

She sniffed, burying her face further into his shoulder. He felt a strange twinge in his chest, his heart stuttering oddly. "I think you'd be a great king," she murmured, sighing shakily.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

He smiled down at her softly. "You must really be not okay if you're giving me compliments," he muttered. That elicited a small smile.

"I'm being serious," she mumbled.

He nodded, wiping her cheeks with his thumb. "Well...Thank you."

She blinked and looked up at him, holding his gaze for a little while as he wiped her tears away. "Can you stay with me for a little while?" she whispered, staring up at him pleadingly.

He nodded, tightening his grip on her. "Of course." If Sirius could see him now, he'd never let him forget it. But James found there was little he cared less about. In fact, all he was really concerned with was the girl beside him, and finding a way to make her tears stop. Hesitantly, he pressed his lips to her forehead, rubbing her arm consolingly. "Go to sleep, okay?"

She did, and he followed soon after.

XXX

_The more Lily thought about it all on their journey, the worse she felt about it. Her legs were bouncing fitfully, her palms were sweaty, and she had so many butterflies in her stomach she thought she might be physically ill at any sudden movements. _

_But things changed once they arrived. Or rather, once the ball had begun._

XXX

After making his formal greetings, shaking the hand of every last attendee, his mother had released him, and he made his way over to her. Lily watched him approach, as she sat by herself in the most beautiful gown (she had to admit, she had previously doubted her mother's taste, but it was perfect). He sat down beside her, and smiled weakly.

"Happy birthday," she said softly, and as usual, let him take her hand to kiss it. He held on to her hand for a second longer than he normally would, but Lily wasn't concerned with that. She was gazing at him. He seemed different. This seemed different.

It _felt _different.

"Thank you," he said lightly, smiling at her. "I'm – er, glad you could make it."

She laughed lightly, reaching for her drink. "Did your mother tell you to tell me that?" she asked wryly.

"No!" he protested quickly. "Honestly, I'm glad you're here!"

She just laughed again, her heart soaring in her chest as she reached across and patted his hand. "I'm only joking, calm down."

"Right," he said, managing a weak chuckle. "Sorry. I'm a bit on edge tonight."

She nodded, watching him carefully. "Well, you can relax. I won't tell anyone."

"Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk."

She agreed, and they snuck out for a stroll. Lily had to admit, the garden looked especially beautiful tonight, the lights from the ballroom reflected on the lake – she recalled with a small smile the time she had fallen in and pulled James with her – and roses growing from the vines that wrung around the bridge and the balcony railings.

The night was cold, but beautiful.

"Only one more year," Lily said softly, after they had been walking for a few minutes in a comfortable silence. He nodded, swallowing hard.

"Don't remind me. My mother's driving me crazy."

"She means well," Lily said, but she couldn't repress the small smile.

"I know, I know that," he muttered, running his fingers through his hair. "But she doesn't see what she's doing to me. She keeps telling me that I can't let my father down. I have to do him proud. She's put all this pressure on my shoulders. And I'm scared."

Lily watched him as they walked, her skin tingling and her heartbeat rapidly increasing. They had never spoken like this before. They had never told each other anything real. But this certainly seemed real.

"I told you," she mumbled, and after a moment's hesitation, she reached for his hand. "You'll make a great king."

"I'm not so sure," he laughed weakly, and Lily noticed how tightly he gripped her hand as they walked.

"James Potter admits he's afraid," she remarked, raising one eyebrow. He grinned ruefully, ducking his head.

"Yeah, very funny. Don't tell anyone though."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

They sat down then, their hands still clasped together, and when she started to shiver, he gave her his cloak, draping it around her shoulders. They spoke about his mother, about the crown that awaited him. And as they spoke, Lily realized that it was awaiting both of them.

"I never thought I'd be here," she mumbled eventually, watching his face, the fine shadows casted across his features with the moonlight.

"Where, in the garden?"

She laughed, and nudged his side softly. "No. With you."

"You're with me every summer."

"_James." _

"Yes?" he replied innocently, blinking at her. She was quiet, staring back at him. "Where are we, Lily?"

She just smiled at him widely, taking a deep breath. Something had changed. No, _everything _had changed.

XXX

The following summer, Lily and James were married in that very garden. She wore a white dress of silk with a lace train, and every last inch of the garden had been decorated. At sunset, a hazy warm glow settled over the garden, bathing everything in rich gold and soft yellow. But that glow was nothing compared to Lily's smiling face when she emerged, illuminated in pure happiness. That summer, a prince and princess stood beside each other, a man and his bride. That summer, two people were bonded for life, as two kingdoms were united.

And the summer after that, James and Lily were getting ready for a coronation, and were preparing to welcome a new prince into the world.

* * *

_Based on the Swan Princess, _if you know what that is. Thanks for reading!


End file.
